A charge delivered to the clergy of the diocese of Rupert's Land, at his triennial visitation, May 29, 1856

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» A CHARGE .
f DELIVERED TO |
THE’ CLERGY OF TUE DIOCESE

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OF

“- RUPERT'S LAND, ~~

AT HIS
TRIENNIAL VISITATION,
May 29, 1856.
rs 7
DAVID ANDERSON. D.D.
LORD BISHOP OF RUPERT'S LAND. New *

TIIOMAS ILATCHARD, 187 PICCADILLY.
, - 1856.

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A CHARGE,

My Reverenn Breruren,

Necessity compels me on the present occasion
to anticipate the usual period of our assembling
together. Trom the nature of the climate, the
winter affords for the most part the more favour-
able opportunity for meeting in any number, as
the highways are then more accessible, and our
brethren from a distance can come in at less
personal inconvenience and, sacrifice. As, how-
ever, I expect to be absent from the diocese
during the following winter, instead of awaiting
the return of St. John’s Day, I have chosen for
our purpose the anniversary of my own conse-
cration.

Such. a day was in the olden time styled the
Bishop’s Birthday ; ; and in some of the ancient
liturgies special prayers and portions of Scripture
were appointed for its celebration.* On it we

* «<The Gallican Offices direct that St. John, x. 1-16,
shall be read every year, on what they call the ‘Bishop’s
Birthday, the anniversary of his consecration.”—DisHop
Doang, in his sermon, The Shepherd of the Sheep, referring
to Dean Comber. ,

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have ourselves been accustomed from year to
year to hold some commemorative service; and
we haye found it profitable to review the progress
of the work committed to us, as a motive to
deeper gratitude, and an incentive to more la- :
borious exertion. It has been connected, too,
with our infant collegiate establishment and its
elections ; and for these reasons its adoption to-
day would comménd_itself-to-all’ who. have at

hear the highest interests of religion im this
land.* May we feel something, as heretofore, of
the presence and Spirit of the Lord; and as we
look up to him for fresh guidance and direc-
tion, may it be abundantly given unto us from
above.

On the objects of such a ‘visitation it is now
unnecessary for me to dwell? Twice" already
have we so met-before; and it is thus in some
measure a thing habitual, not alone a custom
authorised by the wisdom of* centuries, but en-
deared to us from having experienced its bene-'

a ' ficial effects, It is, in its highest aspect, to
confer together regarding the cure of souls; and,
viewed in this light, it, possesses an interest
which links it very closely with the continuance
of the work of grace upon earth, ‘This expres-

. * Tt is not a little singular that the first Bishop of
Rupert's Land, a territory “granted by royal charter .by
Charles IT to his cousin Prince Rupert and others, should
have been consecrated on the auniversary of the restoration
of that monarch. The coaseeration, too, took place at Can- ,

terbury, where he rested on. the eve of his entry into the
metropolis.

7

sive phrase,’ familiar as it is to us, has in it a-
depth, a force and beauty, which ‘have called:
forth the praises of writers not of our own‘com- °
munion.*. How much more ought it to be full of ©
pregnant meaning to ourselves from its occur- .
rence in our own most solemn services and ad-
dresses to the throne of God! To each of us, ©
then, it is well to be reminded, is committed a
cure of souls, Small, therefore, though our
numbers may be, the interests. involved will
reach into the next generation as well as this; -
they will dffect each successive generation in
the land: nay, the consequences will only be
‘fully developed through the countless ages of
eternity. eo sO
The historical feature of a Visitation, as
‘stated in our last Charge, has been noticed by
several since, who have all acknowledged that it
Tests on a basis of truth. If an additional ex-
ample were required by way of confirmation, it
would be ‘afforded by that Charge, which has-been
read, I think, by most of you, in which the past’ .
and present state of China are vividly portrayed,

and which would lead us to watch with intense -~

eagerness the critical position of that land, and the
gradual development of.a movement which would
affect the-destinies of.a third part of the family

* «© The cure of souls,~a phrase which comprehends far
more than the preaching of scrmons, and the duties of the -
Sabbath and the sanctuary., There is a definiteness, an ex-
plicitness, in this beautiful expression, into which we have

~ need more deeply to enter."—Rev.. J. ANGELL James,
Earnest Ministry, p. 185.

‘

of mankind." _ Of our own Charge the historical
stamp is sufficiently obvious. Hope was then

bright; visions-of peaceful progress were floating -

_-before the mind ; ‘the “spell ¢ “of : an_almost-forty——
--years”-peave” was “yet “unbroken; and we were

blindly looking forward to a period of prolonged
tranquillity. While we were uttering the words,
the note of preparation was being sounded—-the
hosts were being marshalled for the battle. We
seem already to have been engaged in a war of
some length, from the suspense of deferred expect-
ation, and even from the sanguinary nature of
some of the conflicts. But while we are closing

this address, the tidings of peace have. been
-brought to our ears. Here, then, are sufficient

marks of time : —the profound rest and peace in
which Europe lay when we were last assembled,
the war which has since convulsed and agitated

all her leading powers, and the rebound of feeling ~ ~~

from the almost unlooked-for cessation of hos-
tilities, which, through the gracious interposition
of God, is now announced. Enough, surely, this
to show that our lot is cast in eventful times:
enough, surely, to prompt from every heart the
earnest prayer that the peace may not be a

- transient one, but established.on a solid and last-

ing foundation ; and such as to ensure the ulti-

mate spread and extension of the Redeemer’s
kingdom.

‘But, if. war thus mark the interval:on which

* “China; her Future and her Past.” A Char ge by the
Bishop of Victoria,

we look back, it can scarcely be out of place to
consider whether any special sins, any growing -
evils; can“ bé° discerned, which. -may h have assisted

“jn” bringing down the _judgment of God on a

nation so long favoured with peace. We may be
unable to fix on the very sin which may have
provoked the Most High; but we cannot doubt
that forgetfulness of ,his hand, in some shape or
other, may have withdrawn his favour fora time ;
and that some disregard of his honour may have
prolonged the scourge.

Now among the things very highly displeasing,
we doubt not, to God, would be the undergrowth

of Infidelity —a tendency to doubt, and_question, ... .

‘and undermine the foundations of. the faith. A
spirit of the kind was one of the melancholy
forerunners and attendants of the previous war ;
and such a spirit, though ina very changed form,
“stems to be manifesting itself in many quarters.
It was then, in a coarse and gross shape, assailing
_ the volume of God with the rude jest, and sap-
ping without disguise the morals of the nation.
It has now’ a refinement, a subtlety and specious-
_ ness, which Satan deems more likely to win its
way in a more advanced age. It has, if we look

beneath, different forms. * It does not overthrow . .

God’s word, but it makes the intuition of each
man the judge of what comes from God—the

* The varying phases of the infidelity- of the day formed
the subject of a Series of Lectures delivered in Philadelphia
in 1858-54. I was most anxious to obtain a sight of them,

as now published in a volume, with an intr oductory Preface,

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intemal fecling the judge of revelation. It makes
‘man ‘a Jaw unto himself,” above and apart
from God’s written word... There is, -too; that”
other ‘phase _ “of. it_which would -form’ Tt own
notions of God and the Divine attributes; and
then mould the declarations of Scripture, however
plam and decisive, to’ suit these @ prior con-
ceptions. It would discard the idea of the wrath
of God, and disown the necessity of a satisfaction
for sin: its object is, as one has expressed it, to
eYideavour to frame “a more indulgent Gospel.”
The former is a kind of transcendentalism but
little congenial to the English mind; the latter,
a revival, merely, of the “exploded tenets of So-.
ciniafism: the two would unite in only receiving
as much as suits their purpose of the letter of
revelation. Fearful, indeed, would be the danger
if such views as these should gain ground. Many
of the grand_motives-of-conduct-woald then be
removed, the specific doctrines of the Bible would
gradually be eliminated, and a bare and naked
skeleton substituted for pure and vital Christi-
anity. oF ‘
As, however, in the period referred to, God
raised up at the very moment many champions
of the truth, such as Watson, and Paley, and
Horsley, to stem the torrent of infidelity, so now
in a his own good providence there appear t to be

ered wvcamity oom nan

by. Bishep Alonzo Potter, Through the Kindness of the
Bishop, to whom on former occasions J have been much in-
debted, a copy was forwarded to me, but through the irre-
gularity of the post it unfortunately never reached me.

a

11

some, whom he hath stirred up to do his work.

I was struck in reading a Charge.of. the-excellent———----
_ Bishop. Portens,in-which he-dwells- ory forcibly ————~ —_
on the flood of infidelity, which seemed likely to

deluge England in the year 1794, He exhorts

his clergy “‘ at that perilous crisis to contend

with peculiar earnestness for the faith once de-

livered to the saints,” and points out to them the

large body of evidence furnished by the various

- ‘writers on the truth of Christianity. He enu-

merates in a note the names of many of those

standard authors, and referring to the ‘ Hore
Pauling” and “ Evidences” of Paley, he calls them a
'« works of a very original character, and very |
distinguished excellence, which have come very
seasonably to check the progress of modern phi- .
losophy.” Now this commendation was deli-
vered, I find, the very year in which the “ Evi-
dences” of that author were first published. In
like manner, at the present hour we are told, in

a quarter which is entitled to much respect, that
“the literature of the Christian Evidences is re-
yiving,”* and, in accepting this as an acknow-
Iedged fact, may we not ask, “Is there not a
cause?” Is not the finger of God visible in
“ raising up the defenders, when the bulwarks of
the faith are threatened? We have reason, then,
"sto bless God, that writers’ of power have
‘peared at the very crisis when wanted; yet much

‘occasion have we to pray that many more might

stand forth, endued with the needful gifts and

# 66 Christian Observer,” Dec. 1854.

valiant for the truth, furnished with the exact
weapons necessary for the conflict,.so as 18 not to
_give_an _adversary-any~advantage _ age over them.*—
~_ For_let-us-remember; that evil of this kind is
agsravated a thousand-fold from the ready mul-
tiplication of books. The doubt may be thrown
out in a sentence, or a casual question,—in a
retired spot, in the cloisters of a university,2—
but it is soon caught up and carried abroad. A’? <
truth thus unsettled—a principle of action un-
dermined—a ground of hope clouded—and what
an irreparable injury is inflicted’ ‘en mankind !
How much easier to loosen and pull down than
to build up and re-establish! Oh! that some
might feel this, who have ventured to lower the
inspiration of Scripture—to call in question the
_ ete nity of punishment—and to invent a theory
~~ ot/the atonement, more plausible to man than
*~ the.solemn truth of God! The influence of
y - be “books has been well likened by a living writer’

* Among the more prominent works would be, “ The
Restoration of Belief,” “The Eclipse of Faith,” Birks’
“ Hore Evangelice,” Miall’s “ Bases of Belief,’ Whyte-
head’s “ Warrant of Faith,” and the very masterly treatise
of M‘Cosh, “ On the Divine Government.” There are also,
very opportunely, the Burnett Prize Essays, in which the

- Churches of England and Scotland are seen once more in
graceful competition, contending together for the common
faith, Nor ought we to overlook the additions of the pre-
sent age to works, ofan earlicr- date; what a large mass of
additional ‘matter ini the “Tore Paulie,” as edited by
Birks,—a wrangler of high standing contributing thus all
the light of modern criticism to illustrate the production of
a senior wrangler, his predecessor by seventy years.

— _ cape
~ : 13

> to .a co-ordinate pricsthood:* when arrayed on
the side of truth, they would act_as a regene-_._-—-
—..-ratin g power_in the -world, -penctr: -ating-where-the—=-——— aoe
voice of the preacher has never reached; and,
where it has, still taking up a more permanent
dwelling in’ the family, and exercising ,even a
more constant sway. But, when the source and
fountain are poisoned, what more#fatal scourge
can sweep over the face of the earth! Let us
then take some encouragement from the fact, that
‘when the enemy has been coming in like a flood,
the Spirit of the Lord has ever in former times
been seen to lift up a standard against him: let
us recognise that God is doing this now among
_* ourselves, that defences are being published of
power and .merit to meet the specious cavils of
every opponent.
And, in making this acknowledgment, T
‘cannot but add that, besides the direct answers
which have issued from places from which they
might have been expected, besides the elaborate
counter-statements of the truth, a very simple @q
‘and powerful reply has been furnished from a ,
very different and a very ,wnexpected quarter.
‘ While some were disputing about the limits of
inspiration, and. others, with’ a fearful respon-.
sibility, were questioning the eternity of punish-
ment, the evidence of the power of faith in the
grand fact of the atonement, and of genuine de.
pendence on the letter of the word, was being
gathered from the battle-field. Amid the ago-

* Dean Milman.

olf 4 o

_phantly--the- power “of a “simple. “faith. to_bear-up -

rY

rt fen mere

A es of death, or in cool preparation for the un-

certainties of coming warfare, was_seen trium- ----

_and-sustain the-soul.” “A’ solid evidence has thus
been furnished, which will penetrate to many a

fireside, and speak convincingly to many a heart, ,

and counteract with thousands the subtleties of a
spurious philosophy.

Together with this infidelity, how large an
amount of social discontent has been lately de-
veloped! In an age, upon which God has la-
vished so many mercies, in which the comforts
and conveniences of life have been so vastly in-
creased, and art and science.done so much to
raise the average happiness, how ‘little has there
been of adequate gratitude and patient depend-

ence on that hand, from which all these bless- -

ings flow! Was there not too much of pride
and self-trust at the commencement of the strug-
gle—too much of a spirit which might say, «I

-shall never be removed”? and when, perhaps

in righteous retribution, the partial reverse came,
or the day of victory seemed thrown into the
distance, how little was there of confidence in
the arm of the Most High! With what unbe-
coming haste were immediate issues expected,

and how feverish and fretful was the anxiety dis.

played! The energies of those in command
were paralyzed, through the Feproaches of many,

“who could not fully estimate their sufferings, or

sympathise with any plan which did not promise
some palpable and instant results.

tee, ee
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eer ne etn peat erence mt Hane a Seno anaes es

15

Now it is this spirit, as viewed in the light
a of ‘Scripture, as it must be regarded by God, ‘that

“We would otis. “How offensive in the eyes of
Him, who seeth the end from the beginning, who
doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth, that the
nation, to which he has pre-eminently committed
his word and truth, should glorify him so little in
the day of visitation! May we not almost imagine
Him saying, as was said to the house of ‘David of
old, ‘Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but -

_ will you weary God also?” Does it not tend to
show, that:a., deeper. foundation has yet to be-laid ;—- -
that art and science can do but little, if there is.,

a festering sore and a lack of inward happiness ; -

that it is righteousness, in its broadest “andmost- ~~ > *

comprehensive meaning, and that alone, which
exalteth a nation? Blessed be God that.a spirit
of prayer has been called forth in many places —
that many on bended knee have sustained the
hands of those who were wielding the sword i
battle. For their sakes God has been entreated; _
and, if only with the return of peace a calm
dependence on his arm, and a devout acknow-
“ledgment of his power, shall take the place of -
‘the spirit of angry discontent, we. may then, find
that “ in quietness and confidence shall be our
~~ ~ strength, in retirning and rest” We shall. be
saved,”
There is jet one other tendency of the age,
fo which I would invite your’ attention—one
which has long dwelt on my own mind, and

which, if duly considered, is, I am convinced,
founded on facts. J mean, a morbid and restless~~

> graving g after-an-Ideal-Optimism:— “Stated, per-
“ haps, 3 in this form, it may scarcely seem t0 you a

thing to be spoken of except in terms of com-
mendation. And yet, brethren, when we reflect
and look beneath the surface, how very little is
man able to carry.out a theoretical optimism in
his plans and institutions! In all there is a con-
tinual hindrance—something which stamps im-
perfection on the execution, however fair and
noble may have been the idea. It is unques-
tionably true, that in moral and spiritual ¢ excel. _

_ lence we.are to go on-unto perfection, we are to

be ever pursuing; but it is of another region of
subjects that I how speak. What is there, framed
by man, which does not betray some. blemish, in
which we could not imagine some possible im-
provement? And the question is, Are we to be
always aiming at this? Is not the necessary
effect to produce an endless change—to rise up
against one of the very conditions of our being?

. How seldom is the straight line visible in nature!

Is not the regularity of the heavenly orbs se-
cured amid the very perturbations, which at first
unsettle the beautifully adjusted formula? And

does not man work at present between limits,.

with many apparent anomalies, which beset him
on the right hand and on ¢ke left, and between
which he is to run with patience his appointed
course? The effect of what has been thus im-
perfectly described is a frequent over-legislation,

a

each veneration thinking itecan correct thewwork- .
TY ing -of- ‘the~-machine; bate ‘Introducing the- altera-

tion so rapidly, that its action has. not time to

manifest itself. And there is this morc dbvious

effect. that if Optimism is to be the universal
standard, man must scttle in what, the excellence
is to consist As intellectual excellence is the one
most palpable and capable of test, it is sure to
have the pre-eminence over other claims. . In
this way intellectual merit bids fair to carry the
day over moral character, and an idolatry of
talent is likely to take place, of which some very
_ unequivocal symptoms are apparent. ‘The few may
be highly educated and quickly promoted in life,
while “the many may be comparatively overlooked
and neglected, and much unobtrusive merit may
sink entirely into the shade. Now this tendency
may be more latent, more difficult to trace in its
root and lay bare in its consequences, but we feel
confident that it exists.. To grapple with it may
often expose to obloquy’ and misrepresentation,
because it rests on what is in itself good: but it

« proceeds.on a false and narrow view of the com-
plex nature of man ;_ if | does not_take into con-
sideration the actual state of the world, the ne-
cessary friction of the machine, and the many
disturbing causes which must affect every human
plan.*

* Examples of what is here alluded to may be found in
the Oxford University and East India Bills, which have in-
troduced great and beneficial changes: yet in each of these,
after the principle was broadly stated, the most ardent re-

B

18

Here, then, are some tendencies of the age in. ..
~--whichwe-live, from which ~ we’ anticipate “evil.
Others noticed on former occasions still exist,
though in more or less modified forms. The,
errors dwelt on in our Primary Charge do not,
we think, gain strength, though their effects can-
not yet ied away. Their shadows still
darken tKe full light of truth in many a breast,
and throw a cloud ‘on the pure doctrines of the
Gospel. But the attention has been drawn off
from such topics by more abserbing subjects, and
they do not grow: according to general confes-
sion, there has been a lull in theological contro-
versy, which all, doubtless, would hail, as giving

hopes of more peaceful times for our .
---Church;

The system dwelt on in our Second Charge,
that of the Church of Rome, has, we are con-
vinced, lost ground since we last met. In pub-

oe licly announcing from the seat of infallibility, as
an assured doctrine of the faith, a doctrine re-
pugnant to the plain letter, of Scripture, and
opposed by many leading authorities within her
own pale, she has surely not a little damaged her
own cause. Our own position as regards Rome has
thus improved, and she stands convicted before
the world of an error of no little magnitude. It

formers came forward to propose limitations and introduce
exceptional cases. Illustration also might be afforded by
the debate on Promotion in the Army, in which the difficulty
of applying one universal test of merit was fairly acknow- -
ledged by all sides.

‘

drome

19 Be

4,

- would require moré than her wonted, wisdom and.

ingenuity to extricate herself from the dilemma
‘in which she has thus placed herself. It is as if
a spirit of blindness were upon her from the
Lord; and if we take into account along with it
the crumbling of her power in Northern Italy,
and in the valleys of Piedmont, we might almost
be tempted to think that her time for deceiving
the nations of the earth was fast drawing to an
end.

So perplexed is the view, brethren, when we
look abroad, so many the sins which may cause
heavy displeasure on the part of God. Oh! let
not Britain add to these a growing disregard of

sa relaxation of the stringency o
those laws which now guard the sanctity of God’s
day. If God has graciously vouchsafed to save
_us from a Continental war, let’ there not be any
desire to approximate to a Continental Sabbath ;
or theh, assuredly, the vials of Divine wrath will
soon be poured out again. Do you ask, What is
our own concern with these things? It is, per-
haps, closer than we may at first sight imagine.
-We are still a dependent Church; our support
is, with a very few exceptions, derived from the
bounty of those at home. If the pressure conse-
quent on war should be prolonged, or the flame
of war be kindled afresh, we must expect that

these resources will" be crippled, and that the .

liberality which carries the bread of life through

this country will be checked. And, at the pre-

sent moment, no eyent that could happen.to our
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20 7

land would be_more deplorable. and—disastrous’ ~
‘than this. Life enough, I trust, there might-be;—
spirit and zeal sufficient to maintain the work, °
notwithstanding the reduction of the means of
support; yet when ground has been gained after
years of labour, it would have a discouraging and ~
blighting effect, to have the sphere of operation
suddenly curtailed. -
For what is our present pogition to-day? If
I procecd-to answer this question individually, it
is only in the hope, that I express your own
opinions, as gathered from frequent conference
‘and conversation, and with the entreaty, that, if
my sentiments do.not agree with yours, you

would not scrupl i
Ve are more estdblished than we were seven

il years ago. Now, by the word used, I do not
mean that we possess anything of power or ascen--
dancy — anything of that political pre-eminence
which is associated with the kindred ‘word at
home. We have not any advantages, as an esta-’
blishment, over the souls and consciences of men.
If we are more established, it is by the dévelop-
ment of our own intrinsic powers, by our own
personal energy, by carrying out as much as pos-
sible united and. common system with mutual
and happy co-operation: _We grow “ by that
which every joint supplieth.” .We have, indeed, _
advantages, which may assist and aid us-in plant-

. Ing ourselves in any fresh territory, and erecting:
- there the standard -of the cross. It is a mighty ~
advantage to be connected with that Church of

pmesniny seem tee

‘

the Reformation; which gavo-bir th to” Crammer, = .”
and Latimer, and Ridley, —to feel that we are .
~desceiidled—from those, who watered the Word
sown with their’ blood. It is’a greater ground of
confidence to fcel that we are in doctrine and
fellowship linked, as closely’as may be, with the
Church of the: Apostles that we have a part, a
place and standing in that « House of God, which
is the Church of “the living God, ‘the pillar and
ground of the truth.” That House and Church
may, and we rejoice to think, does include othexs;-
"but, blessed be God, we cannot doubt that we are
within it ourselves.

‘Even this, however, stands us in little stead .
own practical worth, by his effective power. Now,
employing such a test and criterion, we are more
established ; and the ‘proofs of this are easily
produced. There is an expr ession which I much
like, which is a common one in our Church in
America, that of an “organised parish.” Now

of such organised parishes, with their church
and parsonage, their churchwardens, school arid
_ schoolmaster, we have five at least; we might.
almost. say, seven. And I wish’ much that both
the churchwardens or vestry, and the school-
masters, should feel that they are indeed part
and: portion of the fabric — that they are calléd
to be fellow-workers together with us, in. carrying ;
-out the Redeemer ‘edeimedomy and in ‘puilding up
and cementing the spiritual edifice. With their
hearty anid zealous co-operation towards one ob-

QQ

ject, the number of those labouring for the Lord
in each parish would be much augnierited, and
the clergyman would not stand alone. On this
account we have summoned on the~pyesent occa-
sion those who are holding these offices in five
different churches; and on our return, should
God permit, we would endeavour to meet them
in some way or other periodically, and develope
in a more systematic form the lay element of our
Church. This, - however, -is -only- external “ma-
chinery and framework ; and, by the word “ esta-
blished,” I mean more than this — that there is
the minister attached to his people, and the flock
attached to their pastor. You are more bound to” ;
your work than you were a few years ago. As far
as human eye reaches, I do not ‘anticipate many
changes. A period of relaxation you may take,
and such a period I deem very desirable, ‘that + in
the Church there should be the farlodgh: as in’
the civil service: yet. you all speak of this as
your sphere and, work ; and even those who leave
us for a time seem only to return with renewed
zest. Am I wrong, then, in arguing from these
- symptoms, that we aye more established? .
Weer too, “much more ‘generally known.
. How few could be found many years ago, who
_ knew anything of Rupert’s Land or the Red
‘River? Pass from county to county, and there
was an almost universal j ul Ignorance ¢ of _their_very——
names: Bit tow how different! Our diocese
occupies a large portion of the sympathy and re-
gard of the Christian public, ‘and the links are

f erat a

23 om

fast multiplying which connect us with the
Church of our forefathers. As the mysterious
electric fluid has opened communication with the
remotest parts, and made it as rapid as thought,
. so, surely, there is a more extended Christian
‘sympathy diffused by God throughout his Church
than in former times. I feel this when I open .
each year letters of deep affection from those
whom I have never seen in the flesh, and when I
" gaze upon their kind gifts and presents for the —
needy brethren of the body of Christ. I feel it a
delightful bond of union to my own College,* that.
the Advent Offertory should each year be devoted
to this diocese. I feel it when I think of two be-
‘ loved friends, appointed since we Jast met to the
Bishoprics of Sydney and Mauritius. I feel, as I
cast my eye from the distant West to those islands
of the South and China, that there is a union of
hearts which-mocks at distance, ‘and binds toze-
ther the widely separate. Now this sympathy «
and intercommunion of spirit are from the Lord.
‘They increase with the increased facility of com-
munication, — with the bringing together of the
ends of the earth, which we witness in. this age,
_—-with the breaking up of the kingdoms of this
world, and the fusion of the spiritual kingdom
throughout-the whole. Our own communication
with other lands has increased greatly in the last
____three-years.The visits_of our_brethren to Eng. _
_ land, especially the late visit of one of our arch-

6

* Exeter College, Oxford.

Qt.
deacons, bave brought is much- before the public
eye. ‘There is now scarcely a county, if there be
one, where we are not known; scarcely one in -
which we have not some active, energetic, and
prayerful friends. All this, then, must neces-
sarily involve an increased responsibility ; as it

affords matter of gratitude and deep thankful-

ness, $0 it ought to lead us to look well that we
turn it to good account, — it ought to pledge us
this day to redoubled exértien and.diligence.

With these more favourable indications, the
work, however, may be as wearing, in some cases
more so than before.

In the Settlement, the generation of those
who came out in earlier times will soon have
passed away, and there will remain those born
in the land, and educated ‘in its associations.
Now there are few who will affirm that such are
‘fully equal to their parents: there is found in
‘every colony a slight depreciation in the next
‘generation. An education they may obtain

‘equal, in some cases superior to that of their
“parents; but there is ‘not the same steady in-

‘dustry, the same ver satility. and power of meeting
difficulties. They are thus a heavier burden to
the minister of God ; they require more assist-
ance, more counsel and direction.

And in the case of the Missionary Station,
whether purelysor partially ‘such, the addition
of fresh believers, or, even short of this, of fresh
inquirers, entails, as you know, a burden of no
little weight. It is not the individual alone;

i
2

25.

there is the family. if a profession of faith is
to be made, there must be the clothing —if “the
means of grace are tobe attended, there must
be the house—for the first year or two there
must be the food. Again and again have we
felt, as all have done, and more especially those
who, at an infant station, experience the burden .
from morning to evening, from one day to another,

that the passage of Scripture most capable of
application ' would be the words of Jethro to
Moses, —“ Thou wilt surely wear away, both
thou, and this people that is with thee: for this
- thing is too heavy for thee.” * .Again and again

have we felt, in looking on the poor Indian

coming with expectations, which the wealth of
the ‘richest mines could not meet, the natural-
ness of the words of Moses, sinful though the
spirit: was in which they: were spoken at the
moment,— * Have I conceived all this- people?

have I, begotten them, that thou shouldest say .
unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing
father beareth the sucking child?”+ This, you
can bear testimony, .is no ideal picture; the
words’ of the Spirit, in reference to the Israelites,

have their very counterpart in the poor Indians:

our task with them is, indeed, to carry them as
in our bosom, to bear them as a nursing father
doth his children. They require to be taught
to think, to look beyond ‘the present hour; they
_have to be guided by the hand in each step, as

* Exod. xviii. 18. + Num. xi. 12.

26
\
they emerge from a state of nature and bar-
barism, into the very lowest rudiments of civiliz-
ation. Co
In this lengthened cffort, after the Indian
-has crossed the boundary line, and said in-sub-
stance, I will-be as you are, “Thy people shall
be my people, and thy God my God,” we have
_ few to aid and assist us. It is this poverty which
wears us down. Those who have acquired an
independence in the land, for the most part, leave
it, and the minister of God is left to struggle
_ on with an augmented family, and yet with di-
minished resources. There is not the energy of
-other colonies; much of the life-blood is with-
drawn ; many of the young, the bone and sinew
of the land, leave it, and go to try their fortunes

abroad. Yet, for the sake of the souls of the.

remnant, and the souls of the poor heathen, the
minister continues to labour on. . How difficult
often,.and how increasingly difficult may this
become, with prices raised, and the articles of
life more highly taxed! 6

Difficulties must not, however, lead us to lose
sight of the work before us. There remaineth
‘yet very much land to be possessed. It is well
to endeavour to perform the work that is done
efficiently, and not, by enlarging the area, to do
all in a more slovenly and perfunctory spirit.
Yet the thought of those beyond—of those who
may be sighing as they think, “No man careth
for my soul,”——must often suggest itself to our

mind. And it is more_particularly-forcedipon

weds

\

27

our attention at the present time by the large
number of Plain Indians, who are encamped in
our immediate neighbourhood, and who (with
whatever other motive they may have come
hither) have expressed their desire to have a
minister of God sent among them, and the means
of civilization placed within their reach,*

Now, in connexion with this.remoter field of
labour, it -is obvious, that we can scarcely hope
to carry it on in the same method as our present
‘ stations. The outlay would be too large; the
transport of property,and substance too laborious.
‘Might we not, however, extend effort in some ‘
directions, if more of an industrial character were
stamped on the undertaking—if it were fully
understood that, in return for the priceless
blessings imparted to the convert, we should in
every case expect some equivalent in the shape

* Ti seemed more than a fortuitous coincidence that a
large body of Plain Indians should have been in the settle-
ment at this time. I feared that they would pay me their -
formal visit during the delivery of this Charge, and I there- _..
fore sent to say that I should be happy to'see them in the
‘afternoon, or thé following morning. Accepting the latter
proposal, the four Chiefs came the next day with a large
retinue, amounting in all to nearly two hundred, and the
greater part of the clergy being still with me, we held
a conference, at which addresses were made on both sides.
Though unattended with immediate effect, it will, I am con-
vinced from what passed, tend to break up the system of
heathenism ere yery-long.. One of the Chiefs has since been
baptized, but he had been an inquirer for several years
before. _ ‘

28

of labour ? I notice that-at the foot of the
Himalaya Mountains there are what are termed
Industrial Schoolmasters, and that in their hands

- the mission becomes almost self-supporting. ‘This

were an idle dream for some time in this country,
but in endeavouring to carry our missions to-
wards the Rocky Mountains, or towards the
Arctic Sea, might we not do well to make some
return of labour an understood condition of
‘membership ?

Besides, it is sufficiently manifest, that weé
cannot expect to multiply European labourers,
nor can we hope to obtain .for many others

_saldries of large amount. This, then, would

lead to the question, Canno other tnethod be
adopted for carrying to the benighted Indians

the truth of God? Now, by one of your own '

~ number the suggestion has been offered, whether
_ something of Colportage might not pr ofitably be
adopted ; whether an Indian, who has -received

the truth in the love of it, might not be sent
forward , {0 communicate to his countrymen the

Word ‘which. he, has found ‘precious to his own .

soul, The suggestion seems to us worthy of con-
sideration ; and now. that the Colporteur might
take with him large portions of the Word,

the Prayer-book, and some simple tracts, both .

in the Roman and Syllabic characters, the way
‘seems more open in thé providence of* God.
Few, it is true, are fitted for such a task and
errand; but your own 1 minds can_suggest_¢ one_

ees

oe

29

”

or two, who, had they been free and disengaged,
would have been invaluable and trustworthy.*
And, while thus dealing in suggestions and
throwing out hints, may we not ask, whetlier
the time has not yet ‘arrived for undertaking
‘ourselves. something of the work? Our mis-
sionary field now covers a wide surface, from the
East Main to the English River, yet small, com-
pared to what lies beyond. We cannot expect
that the liberality of others can aid us im any
farther extension of the work. Ought we not to
arise ourselves and possess the land? Are we
not sufficient for it as regards means, and num-

bers, and influence, if only the Spirit of the Lord

should breathe upon us? It may be, perhaps,

that the flame of piety burns scarcely so brightly |
as in the earlier days of. the mission — that a.
“measure of worldliness may have crept in... Now...

what more likely to counteract this, and to draw
down the blessing of God on our own souls,
than to arise to a concern for the souls of others ?
Should we live, then, to return among you, it
would be our earnest desire to inaugurate a
new period, by becoming ourselves a Missionary.
Church for transmitting the light onwards; that”
_ we should have. a missionary of our own, sup-
ported by ourselves, to labour in a spot where

* The system is, in effect, carried out at present by one
catechist, at the Lakes of Qu’Appelle, and by a second at
Fort Alexander. What is to be wished is the extension of

ore

———— the- same machinery beyond-the-Portage-La-Loche-———~--—-

30

the foot of the messenger of peace has not yet
trodden. . |

Thus to throw out branches from itself would
be the mark of a fruitful vine. It-would inidi-
cate life and healthy action. It would connect
us with that life and expansion which are con-
spicuous in every portion of the Church at. this
moment. Since we last met, five additional
Bishoprics have been added to the Colonial
Church, Of others, which remain to be created,
the two to. my own mind the most interesting
would be that of the Melanesian Islands, and
_ that of Agra, or Northern India. To the latter,
_ indeed, I should have been inclined to give the
preference over some smaller spheres lately raised
Into: Episcopal Sees, and I could have wished
it done during the lifetime of the venerable
Metropolitan of India; that as he has lately had,.
the happy privilege of consecrating at Calentta a
so, ‘assisted: by the other prelates of India, he
might also have consecrated another to preside
‘over the vast territories, which the providence
of God has so marvellously added to our empire.
To endeavour to raise man is thus the glory of
the age—to raise the Dyaks— to raise the Zulu,
the Patagonian, and the Indian. In this, too,
we bear a part; our calling is to raise a people,
one of the families of mankind, as well.as to
preach the everlasting Gospel; and if we have
" Teceived much from others, let us seek to lead

31

our people to impart also, as good stewards of
the manifold grace of God.

We would contemplate, then, a more aggres-

sive inroad on heathenism, in a more direct form,
should.life be spared. In this, perhaps, we could
all bear a part: for there are some near us, in-
_ termingled with us, as well as beyond the limits
yet visited. To these we might endeavour once
more to commend the Gospel, and entreat them
in Christ’s stead, ‘‘ Be ye reconciled to God.”
We can all gain much from past experience ; and
a fresh effort, from the knowledge thus acquired,
might carry with it the Divine blessing. ‘

If it be asked, What are the requisites for :

such an undertaking? they would appear to be
the very gifts which go to form the true mission-

.. ary. Now, this we always imagine to be a pe-

culiar calling—something different from minis-
terial life, as such. We might say of him as of
the poet, that’ he is born, not formed; or, more

-correctly, that he is called te his work by the

Spirit of God, rather than framed and fashioned

by the instruction of man. As we believe that”
the Holy Spirit still gives: the true and effectual

calling to the ministry, so beyond that we feel
that he gives to some the peculiar desire’ to
labour in “the outer fields, in the highways and
hedges, gathering the lost and_ outcast into the

fold. Such are the very individuals fitted for ”

labour abroad—they are there exactly in their

places, and blessed abundantly by God: transfer:

32

them to the crowded city or the retired,parish at
home, they are out of their element ay lost, ;
What, then, would be the missionary requi-
sites? It is almost unnecessary to say, that at
~ the root must lie’ ardent love for souls. It is the
sight of the perishing which leads him to forsake
country and home; it is the mind, dw élling much
on the numbers of the lost the millions: under
the grasp of Satan—which_ is led, as_with—-a—-
wae mighty “and “strong impulse, to | to devote itself to
neir rescue. And it is equally superfluous to’
/ say that there must be also a patience which is
/ never wearied by discouragements and crosses,
and a spirit of prayer which faints not, though
‘the stirring among the dry bones may be long
‘delayed. These requisites are universally recog-
nised, and force themselves on the attention even
before the work is entered on, and have been
alluded to by us on former occasions. I wish

ad . now rather to speak of gifts less commonly no-

ticed, and which experience alone brings out to
view.

*There must be, brethren, much self-reliance,
as & primary element of success. In the selec- .
“tion of instruments, this ought to be an essential
point. It can be traced in all who have been’ ~,
the most honoured agents in largely extending
the kingdom of the Lord, It is indispensable in
the earthly conqueror’ that he should feel a con-
fidence in his own resources, and that, though
baffled by temporary difficulties, he should stea- _

= 33

dily follow up some definite plan; and, knowing

the all. sufficiency: of the’ weapons of his war fare:

the almightiness of the power on his side—.
’ the soldier of the cross feels well persuaded that
he will at last come off more than conqueror.
With, however, equal piety, there is often a mighty
difference between two individuals Yin self-rcli-
-ance. One is taken by surprise by the occur-
-rence—of-an- unexpected-case;-and-cannot form-a— ——— >
judgment without much time and car éful thought;

while the other, possessing more self- reliance, can

devise almost on the moment, and has a, plan’

prepared for every emergency.* Now the latter ~*~ »

is the temperament most fitted for the missionary

field. Scarcely a day, never a week elapscs,

without placing the labourer in a position in

which, apart, from the possibility of conferring

with- others, he myst decide, and that instantly, ;
and act upon the decision. And herein it would

differ from anything of self-trust, or pride: it is ~q
reliance on that which God: would furnish and is

ever ready to bestow, but which is to be used

and applied by us as instruments. It is ‘the very

necessity for this self-reliance which would make ©
the shissionary a man of prayer. Not knowing

what’ a, sday may bring forth, he must be fore-
armed-—-prepared at every.point: he must have

a cool head and a prompt judgment.

* It is the aired pxtie of Aristotle, taken in a Christian

1 sense: it is the excellence aseribed to Themistocles by the

historian, Possas petv Suvedues peerions 8 Aeayvrnrs xedriaros
eebrooyedsccery wa Stovre.— Luue. i. 138.

34

And next to sclfrdliiance we would’ place

constructive power. There are two distinct me. -

thods of viewing the human soul: we may con-
template it indiyidually, as to be brought to the
knowledge of the truth, or we may,consider it in

its relation to others around. Now, however the.

former may occupy the mind in theory, it cannot
do so long in practice. Of the soul it may be

a said, as of man originally, it is not good for it-to.

ono ———healoné. “Ta bis wild condition, man may roam
as a wanderer on the earth; but in grace, God

wo - would set the solitary in. families. After any
one soul has~been awakened by the Spirit of

God, the question soon comes, Where shall I

place him?’ how shall I use him? what is his

exact position in the economy of God? Nor
need we wonder at this: we are gathering stones,

but each tone is to be built in, and to havé its -

place spiritual temple; we are collecting
al - the scatteredemenibers_of a body, but each mem-

’ ber has its specific use. "Now ,to dovetail these
b stones—to fix, and plant, and employ.the con-

vert, so that he may fecl himself an integral pax

of the: body —is a gift, and varies much: it is

_ what we would eg
may sce it in the parochial minister. In one
spot we perceive much available power ; but all

-ate acting without unity of effort and sympathy ©

witb their head, and all is thercfore isolation.
Tn another spot there is one heart and mind—
all are pulling in one direction—each has an
office, a duty, and we think of them naturally as

ni]

constructive power. * You -

, my 35 -

a
.

one body under one head, - It is this art of pro-,

ducing unity which is wanted in the missionary,
only that the problem in his case’ is an bundred-
fold more difficult, as he has to form a socicty
out of the most discordant elements—to form of
units void of every principle of combination a
compacted whole. Surely, brethren, such a task

_ Teantres no small measure of ability and con- .

—--~structive: skill.

. Of intellectual attainment and acquired know-'
ledge, you may yet expect me to speak: Perhaps

- it might suffice to say, that in the’work there is
employment for the very highest.* We rejoice

. to find. that many, trained in every branch of

human learning, have gone for th to India and
China, to meetthe Brahmin ‘and the disciples
of Oriental philosophy, and lead them to the
simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus. But we
cannot: think the same amount of acquirement

. alike necessary in all. Many full of zeal and’
earnestness have, we doubt not, been often lost

‘to dur Church, by insisting on one ‘unvarying

and. unbending rule in all cases. Perhaps a.

greater depth of theological learning should

rather ‘have been requir cod, wich the extent. of :

classical er udition was the’ one point chiefly re-
garded. JT have not, as a ‘rule, required the ace.
quaintance with the ancient languages, which, is

deemed, and most wisely so, an indispensable

* See “The Missions of the’ Church of Engl ind an Tn=
viting Field for Mén of Academical Acquirements.” A
Lecturé by the Rev. J. Chapman, B.D. : eaGiialy p. 10.

; \ ce @ a.

~
q
&

- * $6

qualification at home. We want special instru---
ments for a special work; but, if admitted, to the
ministry without a longer period of previoug train-
ing, you stand pledged to the more constan{ study

‘of that which may supply the deficiency — the _

diligent and laborious study of the great Writers
in our own tongue.

and that in this way our ‘diocesan library 3 1s likely

. ' ¥~ to turn to direct and immediate profit.

The power of acquiring the native tongue
would fall under this head. The necessity would
vary much according to the spot, and the amount
of intercourse with the Indian. That the lan-
guage, whatever the dialect may be, can be ac-

- quired in a very short time, I, think ‘sufficiently

‘+ proved from what has been done in our Eastern

- words, discern, by a kind of instinct, the the remoter

missions. But beyond the mere language, it is
very essential to study the tone of thought and
feeling. It was said of an illustrious linguist,
a late Cardinal of the Church of Rome, that, in
commencing a language, he endeavoured to gain
its rhythm ‘and general flow; so in-theIndian lan-—~
guages we may discern something j in the tone of
thought which, if grasped, becomes a key to the
wishes of the speaker. The language of the Indian, |
you well know, bears a close resemblance to his life.
He never enters‘on his subject at once; but the
practised ear can, from a few sentences, or even

___ subject_to which he-is tending. Study, the then, the

language, thoge of you whose life and sphere are

37

among the Indians; but, besides this, study much ~

their minds and thoughts, sd as to acquire influ-

ence and. command over them; condescend to 9 ~~~" 7007
lend the patient ear to their tale, with its many
_-bends and- windings > and “after 80 gaining their

ey hearts, unfold to ‘them the story of grace—the

tp? that God may give them the-’ ‘hearing ear.
= and the understanding heart. -

Now, in order to carry out: any such mission-
ary enterprise with success, it would be absolutely.
necessary to abstain from questions.of mere worldly
;politics., This is, indeed, an acknowledged prin-
ciple in all missionar y operations, and,if necessary
in other ‘countries, in our own doubly so. To
entangle ourselves in local matters is too sure to
defeat the object of our high calling, and to cir- |
cumscribe, rather than to extend, the kingdom of
that Master whom we serve. That as citizens
of the country—as those who have a large stake
in it—as those brought into contact in so many”
different ways with the -population— we should. . ...------—-

“feel no little interest in its welfare, is only na-
‘tural.’ “Phat we should Sigh while so thany thou-
sands are still sitting in darkness, untaught and
unblest—that we should long for the time when
all within-its borders shall be taught of God—

_this is only to say’that we feel as followers of the
Saviour must. But let us not be Jed,.thereby to
____—ro-before- the-leadings- -of Divine Providence; let
us not seek to transfer our responsibilities to the
shoulders of others, nor expect that under the

>

38

present dispensation” those employed. i in the va-

“rious avocations of life will tread in the steps of

the minister of God, and become evangelists to

lost souls.

That the next seven year’s will be productive
(aan mmo of eréat Changes in ‘the land we feel . assured.
Our own desire would be to see additional settlers
sant immigration, though for a time

on a very cautious scale, encouraged, Ata period
when the mother country is overstocked and over- -
_ peopled, 16 would seem that a land which could
furnish support for’ the industrious. might take
off a part of the population, Judging by the
reports of those who have left us and gone else-
where, the means of life are, on the whole, more
' easily procured here than in other spots; and we.
believe that, over the surface of the land, some
situations might be found as fertile, and offering
"ad . as fair returns to the agriculturist, as the Red

River. -

Our, hope, too, would be that, in any plan for
the amelioration of thé land, the avenue to the
highest employments—to-the positions of gréatest.
‘ trust—should be thrown open -to the native, as
in the recent case of Eastern India. As education
- advances, this would afford the strongest stimulus
to, exertion, to find that birth would. never opé:
rate as a cause of exclusion, but that. with merit
and application all might rise.

_ To effect,. however, Political chaiigés, or even
a te intofor cin them, is not our province ; to hold

“an opinion, after the . experience of the past, and
Ponyer es

39

to support it with sufficient reasons, 1s the com-
mon privilege’ and birthright of all. But if in
political matters powerless, in social improve- .
ments, and their’ recommendation, we possess no
—-small_weight-—In— these~respects;-too,; changes ~~~
may be before us, through the increase of ma-
____chinery, the subdivision of labour, the eneou————____
ragement of the manufactures of the country,
and the introduction of special trades, Indeed,
as you well know,’ a settled society is only just
commencing among us, emerging from that wild
and irregular state, in which all were of necessity
obliged to undertake everything for themselves.
It is our legitimate province to endeavour to give |
a healthy tone and direction to this gradual pro-
_ gress of society, as it uprises around us. ae .
And in doing this nothing ought.to be deemed — - |
trivial or unimportant. As regards the dwellings » ~~~ -x4
_,of the poor, I would ask you to use your influence =.2.’ _
‘in promoting improvement in their intersial ar~ cf vf
rangement. Much has already. been done: “by
_recommending, and even insisting. on, the* ‘subdi-
“vision of the houses, where different’ members of
a family were under the same roof. This is alike ~~
‘necessary for comfort, and important as regards
the moral well- being of the ‘household.
Let me also request.you to discourage those
“* Any reluctinee which I felt to allude to this subject
~ Was” overcome’ by ‘finding it’ noticed in a Metropolitan ~
Charge :—* That internal arrangement of cottages, whereby
three sleeping apartments, however small, may be secured to

40
very large gatherings which often take. place at. --
‘matriages. Some apology might be offered for
such, general invitations, when ‘the settlement was
ing, as: it, were, but one family; but,
as the population increases, it cannot be necessary

tae -tovenlprge the number to- such unreasonable di-
mensions. It has often materially lessened the
rey : ny years,
and, what is of greater consequence for us to
notice, it has been the prolific source of much
evil.

And if in “the hour of rejoicing you are to.
exert an influence, and to seek to bring in mode-
ration and a more excellent way, so in the house
of mourning there is something for you to modify
and correct. We cannot too strongly express our
dislike of the large numbers that are often found
by the bedside of the sick or the dying. It is
kindly meant, but it is kindness sadly misapplied.

yy Nor can we approve of the watching the livelong

| night by the corpse. ‘The deeper feeliigs of the
bereaved would rather scek: solitude—a place in
secret where to.weep—than to-be-exposed to the”

“ gaze ‘of others at such a sacred season. And,
when the body is to be carried'to the house .ap-
pointed to all living, rather seek to-diminish the
attendance, and confine it to the relatives and

&

each cottage, should be strongly recommended, instead of
that demoralizing custom which crowds_the.whole -family,~

7 . ‘ . of whatever age and sex, into one undivided-chamber-"—=
ee ___Aneimsnor or Yo ORK'S Second Charge, 1853.

4d,

+

nearest friends, than’ embrace a circle of indis-
criminate mourners..

By attention to these matters affecting our
daily life—our sorrows and our joys—family
comfort would be increased, domestic holiness
augmented; and, while the tide-of joy and grief
would not be lessened, it would flow, I cannot °
doubt, in a deeper and more consecrated channel.

And now it only remains that I offer my
usual summary of work performed, and then in
a few parting words commend you to the good
care and keeping of God. .- a

Our own numbers have advanced with” the
same steady increase as before. One ‘fs from
unavoidable circumstances been withdrawn—cir-
cumstances over which neither he nor I could
exercise any control; but, as his heart is still
with us, ds if is his-éager wish to return, and as
the desire “of his late flock is as great to receive
“him back again, I can hardly deem him lost to
us. Were he with us, and had I been able to
effect the journey to the Saskatchewan as I had

“proposed, and there to ordain one additional
labourer, we should have been twenty instead of
eighteen to-day. For the continuance of un-
broken health among us we cannot feel too grate-
ful; and for that providential care which has
guided so many of us in journeys by sea and land.
__... And yet.we are reminded that death may come .
————An- ‘4n-anexpected-hour-— One, to-wltom-allusion —————~
was made when we last met, hds since been carried

hence very suddenly: by God—shipwrecked ‘on

42

his voyage home.*- We rejoice that his place at
Vancouver has been supplied ; and we could ‘only
wish that it were possible for us to include his suc-
cessor+ in our own number, and that he could join
with us in brotherly intercourse and fellowship.

In ordinations, four European labourers have
been added to our little band; and_it is a satis-
0 me to leave all in priest's orders before

my temporary departure. Of consecrations, we
_have had but one church—one which, in effect
and finish, would form a good model for any
future structure.t At Moose and at St. Andrew’s
, I have consecrated burial-grounds; and that
_ around St. James’s. Church will be ready before
Igo. This will leave in the country five churches

and five burial-grounds consecrated. . Churches -
are completed, but not yet consecrated, at the
Indian settlement and at La Prairie. An en-
largement of the previdus building having been
py found necessary at Moose, a new. church will
instead be erected there; and at York, but for

the want of labourers on the spot, a church _

_—.-~-- ' would have~been in” progress during the present
summer.§ in -

* The Rev. BR. Ji Staines, 1 B.A, Hon. Hudson’s Bay:
Company’s Chaplain, Fort Victoria.
{ The Rev. Edward Cridge, late Incumbent of Christ
Church, Stratford.
} St. James’s Church, Assiniboine: to it the. Society. for — -
. Promoting Christian Knowledge contributed 2001, thie-re———-——
_____ maining -outlay-being made up | by voluntary subscriptions.

§ The churches at Moose and York will be ercoted by ’
the Hon, Hudson’s Bay Company.

43

We are engaged in our third series of confir-
mations, and they proceed hopefully. On cach
occasion fresh spots are added. In our first

"series I confirmed at seven different places; in
the second at ten; during the third, should I
live to complete it, the rite would be administered
at seven places hofore my. departure and at-sexen .
more after my return. My fear was, that the
numbers would necessarily diminish considerably
-from its recurrence after an interval of only three
years ; but the number of those presented on the
Red River and Assiniboine has already exceeded |
those on the previous occasion.

We are still, beyond all doubt, the chief organ
of education in the land. On the two rivers
alone, or, as it might be said, within the extended
boundaries of this colony, we have twelve schools; |
at the out-stations as many more. The influence
of these four-and-twenty schools cannot be small.

As in other countries, we have to lament over
the apathy of parents, who might by a judicious

_ exercise of authority, and_by some little self-sacri-___. ~~
fice, keep their children much longer .at school.
Once started in life, they look back on the past —
with regret, and they constantly confess to us their
deficiencies with unavailing sorrow. Those fully -
trained and educated ‘by us are found not inferior
to those whom they meetin life, able to compete

~~ vigorously -with others who-have enjoyed much~
greater advantages. [he want sfill is depth and ~
solidity of character. The experiment of a dis-
tinct female school of a higher stamp has now

A 4

been made for five years ; and has, I trust, becn
appreciated through the country. For- the sake
. of the young, especially those necessarily separated
from their parents at a very early age, and fecl-
ing deeply the mighty importance of raising the:
female mind, as affecting the well-being of the
+ next generation, I am willi - ;
to risk asecond attempt; and I have erideavoured
- to obtain a suitable. successor to her whose loss
“ to the country we have now to deplore.

At St. John’s a Board of Trustees has been
established, who will act as guardians of the pro-
perty connected with the Collegiate School, and

. keepers of the Diocesan Library. The latter
now numbers more than one thousand volumes, —
a number small in itself, but considerable when the
difficulty of inland carriage'is taken into account.
They now bear the stamp, device, and: motto of
St. John’s College. And yet I feel that the very
name of College may at times perplex and be-
wilder, from the scanty number which we ‘can
assemble in the land, and the little claim that we
: _ can make to anything approaching to collége life.
oo But, as I think of and use the word, I revert to
bygone years, and the meaning of the term in
early times. In this sense would [ employ it, as
embracing not the pupils and scholars alone, but

tee? the bishop and clergy also, forming a missionary
S , “s eollege in a dark-land. I would regard each
oS clergyman-as~ a member of that College, and it

thus becomes a centre, uniting us all.- In this.
light it is no longer a vision or an ideal thing,

45 /

but a living and substantive reality. TheLibrary
would be the proof of its existence, which speaks
to the eye and mind of all, comprising within
itself the collected wisdom of ‘ages for the uSe of
the present and every future generation in this
land.
———AT- Moose itwas a pleasure to me to prepare
a Pastoral Address to those Indians whom I was :
unable to meet. It was translated and printed
off in a very short space of time, after which it
was signed by myself; and circulated through the
country. I hope to be able to continue this
. practice yearly, or each alternate year, and so to.
o - speak to those whom I cannot see in person. I
wt was delighted to find the amount of food which
wag being supplied in that quarter for the Indian
, mind, nd the eagerness with which they asked .
for ainew book. “The “Catechism of Bible and
Gospel History” has proved most useful for them,
and but for the lack of paper at the time many
other,useful books would have been in circulation
lask summers, It was -pleasing to find, on my re-
" turn, two additional. {Gospels and a short Cate-,
chism in our Own character, and to know that
the perusal of these ‘would occupy the Indian of
the Saskatchewat for many a long hour during
the winter. Avid a few Sundays ago, while offi-
clating at Stu/Andrew’s, my eye fell with delight. a
«onthe Indi@hGospels-and~ ~Prayer-beok;lying-——~ -——
_ side by side in the reading-desk with the Bible:
and Prayer-book in our own tongue. To these ,’. -..
we hope may soon’ be “added-some simple ele-

46

ad
mentary compilations, and a dictionary of the
Cree language. The latter will, we doubt not,
be undertaken on our application by the Society é,
for Promoting Christian Knowledge, who 804"
kindly and. promptly carried out Archdeacon
Hunter’s translation of the Prayer-book, with

8 Fe

For the Gospels we have to thank the Bible

‘Society; for the printing press at Moose, and
the fount-of Syllabi¢ type, the Church Missionary
Society.

To all of these noble bodies it will be a satisfac-
tion to learn, that the desire for the Word of Life
spreads. At Moose, I myself witnessed the anxiety
of the Severn Indian for copies, which we could not
farnish accor ding to his desires. And from York~.~..
we hear of the renewed petitions to that quarter
of the Severn Indian. Many of them were bap-
tized during the last summer at York, ‘but the
supply of books has been very inadequate to the

di demand. They éall for the Syllabic volume, but
. with some slight changes from the Moose dialect.
And on the English River much patient study
and” “laborious. thought has been yiven to the
- wider applicatitin of the Syllabic system, in the
hope that it*may be brought to bear on the
Chippewyan. This may be effected, it is thought,
‘by the introduction of a few additional characters,
just as,-at' a conference at Moose, i it was, ‘agreed
~~ —tovadd” a’ fewv Sjmbols to adapt the sy stem to the.
wants of the Eskimo. Now I cannot believé that **
such labour will go without its reward ; in which-

va od

\
! ‘ :
te foe |
.
{ .
‘
. :
oe -
2 BL :
x oy
SAAN Lear emer ace AE Be ty BREE RR aby 8 PN Aiton ncehe Ht r atte ect nnn .

al aminienintrinte re mre V RREOE neEm ee
. =

Ph ss PGI 0 nee gant
former of geeperag, comny FONT
placer a * , |

80.

.
*, ran eT)
\ & ; - |
i" ‘ : | ~
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Ve a a | ~
_ : . . . . . 7 . : ~
.
; .
;

ye

ever form Christ is ‘preached, and “the, ‘Broken,

- fragments of the bread of life distributed, ef
there ein do rejoice, and will rejoice.” The numbers”
‘of our own clergy who can. now. address _ the
Indian, and speak to him in his own tongue, Se

Foss ie
“be six,*to four of er

the language was not
_ their vernacular tongue: , -
With_a-work thas “growing and increasing,
andere of operation widening each year, it ;
may natur rally BEasked, Why leave the sheep in ,
the wilderness? And from the close and affec-
tiénate footing on which I have been among you,
you have perhays.a claim to know some of those
reasons which have led me‘to wish for a tem-
porary absence at this time. When I first came
out I imagined that a necessity might have
arisen for my visiting England at an earlier
period: year after year. “this was deferred, and,
had I not fully pledged myself tiow, this year also
Bini ight have postponed. it. But I believe that
there are.reasons, which rendey it almost impera-
tive for me, and expedient im some measure for
yourselves. ‘
- After the completion of seven years Y wish: to
render up some:account of my stewardship. Not,
indeed, that. ittis by man’s judgment we stand or’
_fall: itis the greatulay- of. the, Lord which will
try our work of whatesort j it ise and. itp mls, to that
Master alone “that, we make out” final ‘appeal? “aS s..
ministers of Chins? and stewards of the my steries

7 BS ;
By > 4 wal & °
a Fa ~ “2p Gey
x yer 3
a vw
e : pen ae ty
y Nt ¢

2
n

. so 4: 8

/ of God. But we derive as a Church so much
from others, that it is only right that they should
have the fullest information how the work ad-
vances. With the condition of every station I
any now perfectly familiar, ‘from personal inspec-
tion and-oversight. I become, therefore, the re- |
presentative of you ‘all, and in leaving you would

“bear both you and your work on my heart. ~My
earnest desire would be to report, as simply and” ”

mn faithfully as 1 can, what my tyes have seen of

your spheres, your trials, and successes. You

have each your personal friends, the home parish -

in which you were brought up, the house of God |

tps --4n-which -you—were:: -accustomed- to-worship; and

from which you were sent forth with. many

prayers; these will of course b2 spots sought out

i. by me,, in order that I may refresh their “hear te,

“by telling them how the work of the Lord
“prospers in your hands.

. There is too a very large debt of gratitude,
which I am anxious to discharge, and to thank
Christian friends for the riches of their’ liberality.

; Surely, it is £.a land which the Lord our God

caretly for,” ‘if, with ‘so little cost or outlay;

almost’ without ‘money and without price, His
hand has provided it-with ministers, and Bibles,
and sc thools, To the Societies, from which as His
instr uments, we. have received these gifts, what
adequate thanks can we render? Words are a ~~
very poor acknowledgment, but to each it is vour
wish. that I should confess ourselves largely i in-
debted. T here are congreg ations whieh support,.

o

iy

ay

wo

49

special schools, and contribute to particular mis-
sions; circles of Christian friends, who send the
yaiment wherewith to clothe the inquiring Indian.
There are those who have kindly thought of our

orphans; they must be told of the removal of

‘their asylum from a spot, in which we had found

_ insuperable, obstacles, to a place in which God

had already assembled many of that helpless
class, and where, under the very roof6f the
devoted missionary, they are as of his own family,
. sharing in all. that prayer and the deepest affec-
tion can effect for them, Aud there are noble
contributions cast into the treasury of the, Lord

~~ by those, the records of whose deeds will never

appear on earth, whose names will,not be known

, until the Saviour shall acknowledge the cup of

cold water given to the saint, “there are the

~% ‘» offerings of the widow, the hard- gained carnings

Of self- denying povorly. Not overlooked are ~

such ifs by the Lord of the vineyard, and if so,
ten “they too are not to be forgotten, when we
recount with gratitude what we -receive. We
would not willingly omit one drop which feeds
the stream that fertilizes and enriches our land:

_ from the fellowship of ‘inistering to the saints .

none are excluded, the, richest-may give by hun-
dreds, the podrest may give the mité watered by
prayer, and to each we may be alike debtors.

_ And while making this poor return, the only
one in our power, the experience of the past
would ‘embolden us to venture to increase the

debt, and make even an additional appeal. -It

dD

v

Xi

<4

i
+
t
j
t

50

has surely been a blessed period for ’ Britain,
since, God poured out on her the spirit of en-

larged charity,— since God made her his almoner ° "

to the very ends of the earth. Even amid the
disttactions of war, the extremest East and West
have continued to reap her bounty. As a nation,
she hath found that “ there is that scattereth
and yet increascth ;” and religion hath burnt all
the brighter at home, from diffusing the light
abroad. A’ further purpose would be to collect,
if God permit, for some special objects. -. Should
I live to spend other seven years in the land after

_ my return, a portion of them’ must be devoted to

the task of building. While other qhurches
have been assisted and aided by us, we have not
yet attempted our own Cathedral Church. For

it we would require help, and we cannot for a-

moment imagine that this will be withheld. The

three special objects for which I would solicit

contributions would be, (1,) The erection of a
modest and’ unpretending Cathedral; (2,) The
enlargement of the Missionary field; (3,) The
carrying out of Educational effort; and donors
may appropriate their gifts to any of these ac-
cording to. inclination. If the work be of the
Lord, pleasing- ‘and acceptable in his sivht, then
he will, I doubt not, incline the hearts of many
to offer of their substance willingly and cheer-
fully.

. And the last object Tewould mention would
be to gather fresh life and vigour from the sight

of home activity and intercourse with Christian

5

friends. As it is indisputable that the hbo-

man frame, in coming from warmer countries,
brings with it an arhount of heat, which it gra-
dually throws off from year to year, so we might
expect beforehand that the warmth of Christian
feeling, the livelier emotions with which we first
commence the work, would become somewhat
lessened by residence in a foreign clime, where
the highest standard of Christian excellence is
not presented to view,—much more where there
is the daily deadening contact with heathenism.
That the country is healthy for the European
constitution, [ deem a fact sufficiently established,
(our average of missionary labour, which is al-
ready higher than in most other lands, would
prove it;) but for the restoration of spiritual
life, for the invigorating of all the mental powers,
on this account I would recommend in your case,
what I now seek for myself, —a year of relaxation
from severer duty, to be spent in the bosom of
Christian society. It is not to a period of idle-
ness and entire remission that I look forward;
almost daily shall I be occupied on behalf of this
country and its interests, even while absent: I
shall be speaking and pleading for it at a distance,
while you are supplying-my lack of service and
working on the spot. J might, as you well know,
have spent an casier period among you, and have
kept myself comparatively -free from care and

anxiety, but I undertook a larger responsibility,

when-J gaw no one willing to assume it. Though
the mind has thus at times been much exercised,
; de ,

er

tem?

<<

52

my health is, through the blessing of God, wholly
unimpaired; and I scarecly feel to-day as if
seven years had passed over my head. Should
health be continued during my absence, I feel as
little inclined to spare myself ; my wish would
be still to spend and be.spent for the land to
; which, as on this day, I solemnly devoted myself.
In the fullest confidence, would leave all 3 in
your hands, beloved brethren, during my absence..
The ecclesiastical authority’ would devolve on the
senior archdeacon on the spot, so that all would
be left in regularity and order. For ‘your labo.
rious discharce of your dutics, and your ever
ready attention to my own wishes, while I have
been among you, [return you my warmest thanks.
And, if thus diligent while we have; been toge-
ther, [cannot doubt that you will be doubly so
when ny eye is removed. Realise, ‘then, I en-
treat you, more and more, the momentous inter-
ests committed to you; and, in the full light of
_eternitg, preach the Gospel in its bearing on
man’s hopes and peace in this world,.and on his
blessedness in that beyond the grave. The
longer God graciously spares you to your flocks,
let them discern the more a deepening expe-
rience of Divine truth in your preaching, a richer
unfolding of the spiritual ‘treasures of the word.
All things conspire to remind us, that the
time may be short. The events of centuries seem
now crowded into a few years. The latter days
spoken of may be per haps appr oaching. To the
East I once before directed your eye, to look out

53

‘for the signs of the Master’s appearing: how
much more has the attention been drawn to that
quarter in the interval which has since elapsed!
We need not the voice and vision “in: order to
hear the appeal. The scene of conflict of the
powers of the earth is on the border land between
the two continents, near the very spots most
noted in early story. Asia now.calls to Europe,
“‘Come over and help us,’ —the Churches of
‘the Revelation and the neighbourhood of Para-
dise may ere long revive under the light of the
Gospel, the way of the kings of the Hast may
be soon prepared. Now, all these would be signs

_Heralding the coming dawn: all would point to
Jerusalem as “-the first and last centre of the
Church on earth.” * .

To assist in forwarding this blessed consum-
mation is our glorious privilege. Mercy has been
termed the pattern-attribute of God; and what
mercy, brethren, can compare with pity for lost
souls? Yet a little, and the condition of the souls
of all will be fixed irrevocably : no messenger of
peace can then pass over the great gulf. But
now, how beautiful on the mountains the feet of
him that publisheth peace, _— how sweet to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord —to make
straight in the desert a highway for our God!

Seven years of imperfect labour have we giv en to
the work amid many short-comings, which we
pray God to ,pardon. But insensible and un- |

Fe Land, of the Morning.” Rev. H. B. W. Churton.
P, 304. ‘ ,

54

.

thankful should I be, were I not to confess that
fruit appears, to the praise and glory of God’s
name: a change-does appear in the wilderness
and solitary place,—-a change appears in the
heart and bosom of your parishes. And I call
upon you to say, what I would humbly exclaim

myself, —‘ Thanks be unto God, whieh always--~ -

causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh
manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in
every place.” May I solicit your earnest prayers,
that my very absence for a season may be for the
furtherance of the Gospel in this land, and that,
if we are again permitted to meet on earth, it
may bein the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel
of Christ, with more extended power to carry for-
ward the proclamation of his truth, and hearts _
more enlarged to make known his salvation!

London :—Printed by G. Barctay, Castle St. Leivester Sq.

“~

Se

BY THE same WQTHOR.

p e .
Doe aa
?

- THE NET IN THE BAY: or, Journal of a Visit to
Moose and Albany. With a * Map of the’ Diooese, _ Pep.
cloth, “48. 6d. : ; ;

.
4

A CHARGE delivered to the’ ne Cones of the, Dinos off. }
Rupert's: Land at -the Primary ‘Visitation, _ 1s: 6d."

' THE ‘SbAL OF APOSTLESHIP:. An | Ordination m
= , Sermon preached - at St 'Andrew’s # Church,” "Red River, kg
. _ December 22; 1850, 14. ‘

“CHILDREN INSTEAD ‘OF FATHERS: rN Christ-
mas Ordination Sermon; preached at St. ‘John’ 8 Chureb, Red
» River, Deseniber 25, 1858." le ;

| NOTES. OF THE FLOOR A Ap-THE ‘RED. RIVER;
180 - “Feap: 6 Sth, ge he y. a
. a bs. hoyte , "Soe “ .
; A ‘CHARGE delivered. to. the Clery ‘ofthe: Dhoude of =~
ae Rupert's Land, at’ his. Triennial: Visitation, in Taly’ a and
. * Decomber, 1858. . “Qsis oO oon, ay .

; Z . ee. “THE: WINNER OF. SOULS: ‘New. Yeai'6 On iiatios.
tO .- Sermon, preached. at St. Jom Chase, Red River ‘on.
» Tocsday, Jemnary 4 1856." ee

a

”

=